I hate logic
by TFALokiwriter
Summary: 2264. Six years since the disappearance of civilian James T. Kirk including the unexpected pop of three men claiming to be the future versions of two cadets and one instructor. Leonard has been assigned to the USS Enterprise. Guess who also has been assigned to it? Our favorite Vulcan, rule stickler, and logical Mr Spock.
1. The assignment

McCoy was at Star Base 1 holding a photograph of James T. Kirk. His eyes were full of sorrow not the fondness and mix of emotions that would normally be on the doctor's face when Kirk was around. He had his luggage packed, prepared, for the assignment to the USS Enterprise. He couldn't believe how much he missed the young boy. He might not even be a young man by now! Kirk would be thirty-one by now. He heard a rapid knocking from the temporary door to his temporary quarters.

"You don't have to knock, Mr Sulu!" McCoy said.

Sulu walked in.

"We should have doors that open when requested rather than opening automatically," Sulu said. "Would save everyone the trouble giving them privacy."

McCoy put the photograph into the luggage then zipped it up.

"We all know that kind of system is contrary to the policy on intelligent doors." McCoy said,grabbing the handles of his luggage.

"But bare with me, shouldn't people have permission to enter someone's quarters?" Suku asked.

McCoy paused, thinking about it.

"Well . . ." McCoy said. "I can guess where it matters when people come in when you are sleeping and attempt to kill you."

"Exactly my point," Sulu said, as McCoy came to the door. "Do you know who our captain is?"

"Of course I do," McCoy said. "Gary Michell."

"And the first officer?" Sulu asked.

"No, not really," McCoy raised an eyebrow. "You came just to tell me who the first officer is."

"It is best I tell you before you get on." Sulu said, as they walked out of the quarters.

"Well, he can't be that bad." McCoy said.

"It is Commander Spock." Sulu said.

McCoy came to a stop reeling in the word that was like a punch to the chest. A word that reminded him that for _six years_ of his life, his best friend, living and reckless, bold and optimistic, had ran out of a career and a future. A man who could have been commanding a starship by now. The name reminded the doctor just how dark the universe was without the annoying speaking lantern in his way. McCoy didn't realize he had fallen to his knees coaxing himself until Sulu helped the man up and allowed him to cry onto his shoulder. Sulu hadn't known former cadet Kirk, really, just the boy who flirted with the girls and got into some fights with the male cadets. Even though he had been a hand to hand combat assistant, he hardly knew the kid. Asides from his wicked hand to hand combat skills.

But fortunately?

Sulu had gone to know McCoy really well after the day the cadet went missing.

The cadet was the doctor's whole world.


	2. Beaming aboard

"Sulu . . ." McCoy said, as they entered the transporter room. "I hate to be the emotional luggage, but thank you for bein' there for me."

"That is what friends are for." Sulu said.

Sulu got on-board the transporter big enough for two people with his luggage alongside him. In a golden flash the man was gone. This would be the first time he used a transporter. He took a shuttle craft to the starbase. He didn't trust those deceiving innocent looking bastards that could kill him by 'accident'! His atoms reorganized, scattered, and then replaced but there is a distinctive possibility that there could be a day the transporter will malfunction. Where his atoms will not take on their natural shape, his pattern scattered all over the galaxy, and only a disgusting pathetic mess of human tissue remaining because of the transporter malfunction. There are known cases to happen. Transporters were unknown, unpredictable in the field of science and in the past hundred years they have only garnered reassurance that death won't happen every time a person is beamed to and from. Last year a person died during transport . . . But it only turned out Romulan firing made him kick the can. McCoy did not like the transporter, period.

Kirk would be laughing at his friend's concern and tell him that it would be all right.

He stood there for five minutes staring at the transporter, until he walked aboard the transporter and turned around.

"Ready to beam over?" The man behind the console asked.

McCoy nodded.

"Ready." McCoy said.

McCoy's surroundings changed before his eyes straight into a white transporter room. For six years Star Fleet was lenient on him for leaving right after he graduated and went n his own search for Kirk. That search lasted roughly four years, he searched on and off Earth in that time. Grieving for some-one who might as well be dead or alive lasted for two years. He had met Sulu in the beginning with Chekov, his right hand best friend, holding books in his arms that were related to plant life after Kirk's disappearance. But Star Fleet all of a sudden decided to draft McCoy and bring him into space. He had arranged visits with Joanna, his little girl and he was there for the important parts of her life.

"Welcome aboard, Doctor McCoy." Michell said, with a familiar Vulcan alongside him who had his arms behind his back.

There was a flicker of recognition in Spock's eyes.

McCoy's assigned quarters were 127 on Deck 9, section 2.

"Hello, Captain, Commander." McCoy said, stepping off the transporter pad.

Kirk would have wanted McCoy, despite how much he hated the pointy eared green blooded hobgoblin, to see past the grudge he had with Spock. Their relationship would sink when not on the clock, that much McCoy knew,when the Vulcan would at least try to do so. _I hate logic_ , McCoy thought. He started to despise logic applied by Vulcans shortly after the disappearance of his friend. Star Fleet had assured Winona they would find Kirk. McCoy personally visited Winona and insisted " _If Star Fleet cannot find him, then I will . . . one way or another. Jim can't be hidden from me. And when I find him. I will bring him back. I promise_."

"Doctor McCoy," Michell said. "I am glad to have a doctor like you aboard the Enterprise."

 _Thisdoesntfeelrightthisdoesnfeelrightthisdoesntfeelrightjimshouldbecaptainjmshouldbecaptainjimshouldbecaptain_ , McCoy was internally screaming.

It was like the universe was blatantly disregarding the known barriers and informing the doctor that this reality was simply not right and it had to be fixed. Suddenly, unexpectedly, McCoy could picture Kirk standing there with hands by his side wearing his beaming smile and optimistic eyes with the Vulcan along side him holding out one hand toward the doctor preparing to slap the side of his arm. It felt surreal. Then it faded quickly as it had come revealing Michell where Kirk had stood and the emotionless unchanged Vulcan stood beside him.

 _"Best (thirty-four) years of my life."_ McCoy recalled his counterpart's reply.

"I hope the next five years will be eventful." McCoy said.

"Logically, it will be." Spock said.

McCoy glared over at the Vulcan's direction then back toward Michell.

"If I die, it will be the damn Vulcan's fault!" McCoy said, going toward the doors with his luggage.

Spock raised an eyebrow.

"That would be illogical, doctor." Spock replied

"ILLOGICAL MY ASS!" McCoy shouted back as the doors closed behind him.

"Poor doctor," Michell said, shaking his head. "Losing a friend like that? He is still in pain."

"How does one feel pain when it has not been inflicted?" Spock asked.

"The kind of one when someone very close to you leaves this world, it's how their departure makes you feel by the inside, Mr Spock," Michell said, as they turned away from the transporter and headed toward the doors.

At the transporter console was Montgomery Scott with his friend Freenser underneath fixing some internal wiring. In a golden flash on the transporter pad appeared McCoy's left shoe. The captain and the commander exited the transporter room going in a different direction that the doctor was not heading. Scotty rubbed the side of his face recollecting whether or not the doctor had come without his shoe. Apparently he had. The Doctor came back in steaming, his hands clenched into fists, and he put on the shoe. The doctor grumbled something about "Damn transporter. It is wildly unpredictable."

Freenser poked his head out holding a screwdriver.

"Did you get it?" Scotty asked.

Freenser nodded as the doctor exited the transporter room.


	3. Medical exam on M-113

"It has been years since I last met Nancy," McCoy mentioned to Mitchell. "She could be different, but, to me she will always look the same."

"She must be on a streak." Mitchell said.

"Don't suggest what I _think_ you are goin' to suggest!" McCoy said, glaring his eyes at the captain's direction.

"Why, a married woman should be lucky to have a friend like you." Mitchell said.

Ensign Darnell came into the room wrapping the belt around his waist with the phaser in its holster. The two men boarded the transporter pad. It had been two weeks since McCoy had been assigned to the starship. They had missions after missions which made McCoy get to know Mitchell very well. Spock, as well, but there were striking physical similarities from his older counterpart coming to. Spock's cheeks had become distinctive, the jawline, those eyebrows, and the face. McCoy understood why his counterpart compared Spock to a computer. McCoy quickly learned when to time his insults when it came to a bunch of alien security guards 'attempting' to tow them to their prison and end up knocking them out when 'pretending' to come down to blows with the other (and the captain wasn't around for that, he would normally be busy with the leader).

Spock was currently on the bridge.

"We are friends," McCoy said. "What we had is in the past."

Mitchell snickered.

"Energise." Mitchell said.

Scotty slid up the bar.

* * *

His surroundings changed from the transporter room to a desert like scenery complete with structures that once belonged to walls, hallways, and building constructions. There was one building that remained standing despite the wrath of time. There was a large deposit of sand far as the eye can see. There were dead bushes seen here and there. It looked depressing compared to Earth. To lighten the mood, McCoy purposely imagined there was grass and bulky green bushes.

"Wow," Mitchell said. "Their Rome turned into a Egypt."

"Rome did not turn into dust." McCoy said.

Darnell followed the two men into a building that seemed otherwise unfit to be compared to a typical housing. Robert Crater was at his desk, holding a small magnifying glass, set and lowered to a handle. His brown hair was wild, strikingly, going all over the place. He had met Robert roughly the same time he had met Nancy, and one of Robert's hand had a pen jotting down notes on the padd. Surprisingly, there were visibly three passage ways in the building that lead to two rooms from just standing here in this point of the house. It probably had been a building that survived the fall of a civilization now being dug up by Robert.

"Hello, Robert," McCoy said. Robert turned away with slightly widened eyes. "Look like you have been through hell!"

"Go away, Len," Robert said, turning away from the desk putting the object carefully down. "We don't want you here!"

"What you want is unimportant right now," McCoy took a medical tricorder from his bag with a ' _you are going to allow me to do my job, or else_ ' attitude. "What you will get is what is required by the book."

"I take it you met him before?" Mitchell said.

"Lon' before I joined Star Fleet," McCoy said. "Festival lights, fair, a attractive pretty girl who'll drop you like a rock after dumpin' you with the worst case scenario being your later-to-be-ex-wife."

"You divorced Jocelyn, _and_ joined star fleet?" David said.

"Yes," McCoy said. "Though on the same day."

"I can't believe it!" David stepped aside acting like he was genuinely shocked. "The man who swore he wouldn't follow his father's footsteps is following his footsteps! David must be incredibly amused-"

"David died." McCoy said.

"I am so sorry-Hey, don't point that thing at me!" Robert swatted at the tricorder.

"I will and I have to, standard procedures." McCoy said.

It occurred to McCoy that his counterpart probably shared the same fate. Assisting his father's last wish on death bed to ease his suffering. It was a day that McCoy regretted and deeply felt for. Why? Because the incurable disease that his father was dying from got a cure soon afterwards. A needless and pointless death. He had met Jocelyn prior to his father's death. His father did not approve of her, that McCoy should have taken and dumped her on the spot but he didn't. She had a way of making men's heads turn in her direction. She contrasted with him as he contrasted against her.

"Did I hear a McCoy in here?" Came a woman's voice.

Darnell was leaning against the wall when he saw a blonde woman with rosy red lips, perfect skin,light blue eyes, and curled blonde hair. She held a artifact in her arms.

"Nancy . . ." McCoy said.

McCoy saw Nancy as a young woman he had known all those years ago. McCoy had forgiven her for dropping him like that but the feelings he had for her remained. Her pink colored lips. Her squared face. That gorgeous ass smile on her face. Her long but otherwise short eyelashes.

"You look fine for your age." Nancy said.

"You haven't changed a day, Nancy." McCoy said.

Mitchell saw a woman with dark hair that was graying up in a bun with lips that were not applied by lip-stick.

"Ah," Nancy said. "Nice to hear from someone who isn't so blindsighted by his work."

"Sorry mam. . ." Darnell said. "But you remind me of someone I knew on the pleasure planet. But slightly . . . more gorgeous."

McCoy raised his eyebrow.

"That is a married woman you are talking to," McCoy reminded him. "Twice your age!"

"Officer Darnell," Mitchell said. "Please wait outside."

Robert had been scanned by McCoy's device as Darnell came out of the building.

"If anything, she looks nothing short over twenty-nine," Robert said, rubbing the side of his shoulder after McCoy hypoed him. "Ow!"

"You have unusually low salt levels," McCoy said. "This dose is getting them up where they should be. God knows how you have been over-working yourself!"

"That is what I say," Nancy said. "Regarding his work and no play. He simply refuses."

"Digging up a extinct civilization has no play, sweetheart," Robert said, motioning over to the woman. "Why I will pay more attention to you when we have more archeologists around to take up the job of fifteen men being done by one man."

"Fat chance over me getting beautiful every day." Nancy said.

"And we need salt tablets," Robert turned his head away. "You got plenty of them on the ship?"

Nancy put down the artifact on the nearby table.

"That we do," Mitchell said. "One of the many supplies . . .Which I find startling that you need so little."

McCoy used a different scanner.

"Well, my wife does all the eating," Robert said. "I don't eat that often. I just take a tablet to make up for the lack of fluid."

"Of course you do," McCoy said, resuming his scans. "And she makes you stay in bed when you are sick."

"Yes, she does!" Robert said. "Right when I have precious work."

McCoy lowered the device.

"You are the luckiest man in the galaxy living with a jewel," McCoy said. "The nicest woman you could ever have and you dismiss her over your work."

"She does not mind." Robert said.

"Other than the salt oddity, you have a clean bill of health." McCoy said.

Then they heard a woman's scream.

"Nancy." Robert said, perhaps in fear as he momentarily stood there frozen then went through the threshold followed by the two.


	4. The illogical chapter

They came to the source of Nancy's screams as she had stepped back covering her mouth appearing to be horrified. Nancy came to her husbands side. McCoy oddly could feel this has happened before. It was a weird experience of 'de ja vu'. They were in a narrow passageway that once had been bridge barriers for those coming to and going, there were some rusted cables visibly in sight. The man was on the ground facing up with circular red marks dotting all over his exposed skin namely being pale. It was like all the qualities that made him alive were gone. He had a green leaf sticking out of his mouth partially and his eyes were open.

McCoy, for good measure, checked for a pulse.

 _"He's dead, Jim."_

Hearing a different voice startled McCoy, but it sounded a lot like his counterparts voice.

"He's dead, Mitch." McCoy said, looking over to the captain.

"He put a poisonous plant in his mouth," Nancy said. "I could not stop him on time."

"Borgia," Robert said, with disgust in his voice. "That idiot."

"Pointless death . . ." Mitchell said, then he took out his communicator. "Mitchell to Enterprise, three to beam up."

"Aye aye, captain," Came Scotty's voice. "Preparin' tae beam up."

Robert and Nancy were afar from the two as the three man were being surrounded by golden floating, hovering, rings surrounding their bodies. In a golden flash they reappeared on the transporter. "One of the landin' party is dead.", Scotty reported to the bridge. "Bridge acknowledging.", Spock's voice was overheard, emotionlessly. Did being around his counterpart all those years ago expose him to what could have been in a unknowing kind of way?

McCoy did not like these feelings, period.

They were simply not logical.

There it goes again!

The word ' _Logic_ ' floating around his brain.

And he hated logic.


	5. A highly confusing examination

"So what is it, McCoy?" Mitchell asked, the Vulcan alongside.

"My initial examination had nothin'." McCoy started.

"Nothing?" Mitchell raised an eyebrow.

"And then I did the autopsy," McCoy said. "The chemical one, first, before the internal and external autospy. Turns out he has lost all his salt."

"Fascinating." Spock said.

". . . Salt?" Mitchell said, looking over to the doctor with a raised eyebrow. "I do not understand."

"Salt is very vital to the human body," Spock said. "In fact, its needs to constantly replace it when the human body excretes it in the form of sweat and makes up approximately 0.4 percent of the bodys weight."

Mitchell's face turned into realization.

"He could be perfectly fine pullin' the worst trick on the book and walk right out here if he had salt in him," McCoy gestured over to Darnell's body. "It is like a octopus wrapped itself around his head and left the marks of their suction cups behind. I can't explain away the strange markin's on the body," The doctor looked over toward the Vulcan. "If you have any suggestions, Mr Spock."

"A octopus would be the logical culprit but that is illogical and it cannot withstand being outside of the water for long periods of time." Spock said.

"So there is a living,humanoid version of a octopus walking the sands of M-113." Mitchell said.

"Well, yes," McCoy said, going with it. "A sea creature."

"I like mysteries but this one does not start to make sense!" Mitchell said.

"Perhaps it does not have to make sense," Spock said. "Six days, four hours,thirty-two minutes, and three seconds ago come across a species calling themselves centaurs on The Galavant planet with the bodies of a horse and the torso of a human in the place of a horse head. Two days, four hours, thirty minutes,and four seconds later we met a species called the Galezeloritians being a hybrid of human and spiders strikingly similar to the Galavantarians."

Mitchell rubbed his chin.

"Perhaps . . ." Mitchell said. "Mr Spock, you have the bridge, Doctor McCoy and I will go down to retrieve the Craters. There is a threat down there and whether they like it or not, they cannot be on the planet surface."


End file.
